IRAQ - COMPLEX EMERGENCY FACT SHEET #3, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2014 AUGUST 28, 2014 NUMBERS AT HIGHLIGHTS HUMANITARIAN FUNDING A GLANCE TO IRAQ TO DATE IN FY 2014 IOM releases new IDP estimates to better reflect the most recent wave of USAID/OFDA1 $3,605,866 1.7 displacement from early August. IDP influx strains response capacity USAID/FFP22 $143,516 million of local authorities, particularly in People Displaced by southern Iraq. State/PRM3 $133,425,443 Violence in Iraq Since January 2014 Humanitarian actors continue to DoD4 $1,190,000 International Organization for increase assistance and staffing for Migration (IOM) – August 24, 2014 the Iraq response. $138,364,825 TOTAL U.S. GOVERNMENT (USG) 485,706 ASSISTANCE TO THE IRAQ HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Dohuk Governorate IOM – August 24, 2014 KEY DEVELOPMENTS The vast majority of Iraqi IDPs who fled fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and 343,284 the Levant (ISIL), its allied militias, the Government of Iraq (GoI), and Kurdish Regional IDPs in Al Anbar Government (KRG) security forces in northern Iraq since June remain concentrated in the Governorate Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR); however, increased IDP movements to central and IOM – August 24, 2014 southern Iraq are straining the response capacity of host governorates. Displacement figures continue to fluctuate as insecurity leads to secondary and tertiary displacements, 170,544 particularly in Al Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah ad-Din governorates. IDPs in Erbil Governorate During the past week, reports of sectarian violence—such as the attack on minority Sunnis IOM – August 24, 2014 at a village mosque in Diyala—led to expressions of concern about heightened tensions from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Iraq Nickolav Mladenov. 118,674 U.N. agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) continue to IDPs in Kirkuk Governorate increase staffing and assistance following the mid-August U.N. declaration of the Iraq IOM – August 24, 2014 crisis as a Level 3 (L3) emergency. The USG continues to support emergency relief assistance to IDPs staying in accessible areas of northern Iraq, particularly in the IKR. USG-supported interventions include 101,130 distribution of emergency food assistance and relief items, shelter support, hygiene IDPs in Baghdad awareness campaigns, and sanitation infrastructure improvements. A USAID Disaster IOM – August 24, 2014 Response Assistance Team (DART) remains in Iraq to help coordinate USG efforts to identify and address humanitarian needs. 88,242 IDPs in As Sulaymaniyah Governorate 1 USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) 2 USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) IOM – August 24, 2014 3 U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) 4 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) 1 CONFLICT AND HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION In recent weeks, attacks by ISIL and armed groups have increased throughout Iraq—particularly against religious and ethnic minorities—and resulted in additional displacement and deteriorating security conditions. On August 22, armed militants opened fire on minority Sunnis in a village mosque near the city of Ba’qubah, Diyala Governorate, resulting in approximately 70 deaths, international media report. In an August 23 report, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted increasing reports of human trafficking within and outside Iraq and of abduction of women, particularly those belonging to minority groups, by armed actors. Since February, as part of ongoing protection monitoring activities, humanitarian actors have assessed more than 35,200 families or 188,000 people for assistance, OCHA reports. Of the total, more than 8,800 cases received legal assistance and nearly 5,800 cases received approval for cash assistance. Additionally, approximately 3,100 people with special or specific needs received referrals for other services and assistance. HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AND POPULATION DISPLACEMENT As of August 24, IOM had identified approximately 1.7 million people displaced across Iraq since January 2014, including nearly 744,500 IDPs in the IKR. IOM’s IDP estimates have risen over recent weeks, with the latest figure representing an increase of more than 611,000 IDPs—or 58 percent—from IOM’s August 7 figures. To arrive at the new estimate, IOM reconciled its displacement tracking data with data gathered by a recent KRG IDP registration exercise in Dohuk Governorate. IOM notes that the number of IDPs reflects only those individuals identified in 1,577 locations; the organization acknowledges that many locations have not yet been covered and plans to continue IDP verification activities over the coming weeks. Estimates of displaced populations in Iraq continue to fluctuate, as the situation remains fluid and humanitarian actors continue to evaluate conditions. Since early August, nearly 122,600 Iraqis—predominantly Yezidis—who fled ISIL-related violence in Ninewa Governorate’s Sinjar District have crossed into the IKR after transiting through Syria, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The agency also recorded the return of more than 4,700 Syrian refugees from the IKR to Syria since August 1. On August 19, UNHCR announced plans for a major expansion in its humanitarian aid response in northern Iraq. To assist approximately 500,000 IDPs, UNHCR launched a 10-day operation to deliver emergency relief items to the IKR by air, road, and sea. Beginning on August 20, airlifts over a four-day period transported supplies from Aqaba, Jordan, to the city of Erbil in the IKR. Each flight delivered 100 metric tons (MT) of relief items, comprising 3,300 tents, 20,000 plastic sheets, 18,500 kitchen sets, and 16,500 water containers. UNHCR is also employing road convoys from Turkey and Jordan, as well as sea and land shipments from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Local officials from central and southern Iraq, including Al Basrah, An Najaf, Al Qadisiyah, Baghdad, and Karbala’ governorates, report a shortage of resources for new arrivals, as IDPs continue to flee violence, according to OCHA. Karbala’ Governorate—reportedly unable to support additional people—has begun diverting IDPs without local sponsors to other governorates. Relief organizations are responding to address the needs of newly arrived IDPs. In recent weeks, humanitarian assistance provided by NGOs and U.N. agencies have included four MT of high-energy biscuits, in An Najaf, Karbala’, and Wasit governorates; safe drinking water for nearly 7,000 people in An Najaf; and adult hygiene kits and water containers for an estimated 10,000 IDPs in Karbala’ Governorate. On August 17, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani announced the allocation of an additional $10 million in funding to support displaced families in the IKR, supplementing a previously provided $15 million. In addition, on August 26, the GoI Council of Ministers decided to allocate an additional 500 billion Iraqi dinars, or $430 million, for shelter and relief item assistance to Iraqi IDPs. The GoI had previously committed 500 billion Iraqi dinars to provide cash grants of 1 million Iraqi dinars to each registered displaced family. To date, the KRG and the GoI have pledged more than 1 billion Iraqi dinars—or approximately $885 million—in support of humanitarian relief efforts. 2 SHELTER OCHA reports that KRG officials and authorities from Dohuk and As Sulaymaniyah governorates stressed shelter and camps for IDPs as a primary concern at a meeting with U.N. agencies and other humanitarian actors on August 25. Nearly half of all schools in the IKR are hosting IDPs, and the KRG indicated that IDPs should be relocated to camps as soon as possible to make the schools available for the beginning of the new school year. UNHCR reported that, as of August 19, at least 12 potential camp sites had been identified with the KRG. The camps are expected to host IDPs currently residing in schools, unfinished buildings, and open areas throughout the IKR. Three of the sites are in As Sulaymaniyah Governorate, three in Erbil Governorate, and the remainder in Dohuk Governorate. More than 21,000 IDPs are currently sheltering at two camps—Dohuk’s Bajid Kandala and Erbil’s Baharka. Furthermore, several privately-run camps have been established in Dohuk, and KRG officials continue to review possible sites for additional camps. The Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian shelter activities, comprising U.N. agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders—has scaled up its humanitarian response following the U.N.’s mid-August declaration of the Iraq crisis as a Level 3 emergency. The cluster has deployed a national CCCM coordinator and mobilized additional support, including a sub-national CCCM coordinator for the IKR and an information management officer. UNHCR has organized a series of CCCM trainings in the IKR’s As Sulaymaniyah, Dohuk, and Erbil governorates between August 10 and September 5. Government officials, refugee representatives, camp managers, and U.N. and NGO staff are participating in the trainings, which are designed to develop effective management and coordination mechanisms in IDP and refugee camps. U.N. agencies and other humanitarian organizations continue to scale up shelter assistance in affected areas outside the IKR. With assistance from IOM, local authorities opened an IDP camp—expected to accommodate more than 500 families—in Al Basrah Governorate. In coordination with governorate officials, IOM and UNHCR are providing assistance for the camp, including cooking supplies, water coolers, and sanitation facilities. IOM is also supporting local authorities to provide emergency relief supplies and establish camp infrastructure at an IDP site in Maysan Governorate. To date in FY 2014, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $1 million to an implementing partner for shelter-related activities, including the distribution of shelter upgrade materials to improve housing conditions for vulnerable IDPs in northern Iraq.